


Hearts

by LizAnn_5869



Series: Life, Or What Happens When You're Busy Making Other Plans [14]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Celebrations, F/M, Fluff, Love, Romance, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-02-12
Packaged: 2018-05-19 23:27:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5984341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizAnn_5869/pseuds/LizAnn_5869
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ellie and Alec had a horrible Valentine's Day, so Ellie gets an idea to celebrate something even dearer to both their hearts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hearts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sgt_Pepperony94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sgt_Pepperony94/gifts), [nannyogg123](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nannyogg123/gifts).



> Yes, I know I am in the middle of writing a mystery, and the third chapter of "First Day" is forthcoming if Alec Hardy stops being such a stubborn knob. In the meantime, this plot bunny attacked me.  
> Takes place after "First Day", but there are no spoilers for that story.  
> Also, the timeline of events is all my own. I tried to abide by Chibnall's and it got a wee bit confusing. He'll make an wonderful Doctor Who show runner. So if my timeline doesn't quite synch up with the show's, it's an AU, remember, and also my own personal little happy tale for them.  
> Gifting to NannyOgg and Sgt_Pepperony84 because we need a break from the angst train, I tell you!

Alec was snuggled into comfortable sheets and blankets that were just the perfect temperature for dozing back off to sleep for a Saturday morning lie-in. He was drifting pleasantly on a cloud of warmth, sighing happily.

The peace was abruptly ended by the sensation of the mattress sinking down a bit followed by the surprise sensation of a finger gently tapping his nose. At first he thought it was Fred climbing in for a cuddle, but then he heard a voice murmuring, "Alec...you knob, don't be a layabout." It was said in Ellie's singsong voice that she used when waking Fred for school.

Alec opened his eyes slowly, the sensation of the nose taps being replaced by slight pressure on his chest. Ellie's face swam into focus. She was leaning over him, kneeling on the bed, hands resting lightly on his chest.

He had the feeling of deja vu, that he'd awakened before with her looming over him. His brain was too slow and sleepy to work it out.

"Good morning," she said brightly.

She seemed to be in a good mood at least, he thought. Or he was in trouble for something he didn't know about yet. Could go either way, he thought. "Mornin'," he said in a gravelly voice. Ellie smiled at him. She'd told him on more than one occasion that she loved the way his voice sounded extra Scottish when he first woke up. 

"So....remember Valentine's Day?" Ellie said with a smile.

That was not something he expected to hear. He gave her a pained look and asked, "Why bring that up? That was weeks ago."

"It was on my mind today."

Alec began to wonder if he was in trouble after all, although he couldn't quite figure out why. His still sleep fogged brain recalled the events of the day.

As Fred would have put it, Valentine's Day had not been their bestest day ever.  
*****  
Valentine's Day

Late in the evening on their first Valentine's Day as a proper couple, Alec and Ellie found themselves in separate rooms, at separate desks, staring at separate computer screens. It had been a busy week for crime in Broadchurch, and they were wrapping up the investigation of several petty thefts while also monitoring the illegal drug trade that seemed to have infested the town. 

Valentine's Day hadn't been on either one of their radars, and it hasn't even occurred to Alec until he happened to glance at his calendar. His eyes widened. He remembered that she had mentioned expecting chocolate despite not being a fan of Valentine's Day. He had completely forgotten to shop. He hadn't even left her a love note in her desk drawer in a few days. Work had been crazy for both of them.

It had been an adjustment, working out the jobs and the children. They had finally gotten into a groove but there'd been a lot of late nights and different schedules and call outs in the middle of the night for him. They'd spent a lot of time together questioning suspects, but not as much just being together. 

He looked out his office window at her, watching her squint at her computer screen. He could read her lips, and she was cursing colorfully at it. His heart swelled with love for her. It would be a full year together in few months. It had been, and still was, wonderful. He'd never felt more loved in his adult life. His daughter was Daddy's girl again and he had two wonderful sons to boot. After his divorce, he'd been adamant that he'd never put that much trust and love in another person ever again. He'd never been so happy to have been proven wrong. 

And he hadn't even had time to get her something special. Or even a card. 

Alec knew how Ellie felt about Valentine's Day. "You let me know all the time how much you love me. Why do we have to buy cards and candy and flowers to prove it beyond the shadow of a doubt? Just an excuse for retailers to make more money after the Holidays." However, "chocolate would be nice."

He hadn't even had time to do that.

He knew she probably wouldn't mind. Well, she might be pissed about the chocolate, but still. Ellie had told him that Joe used to make a big deal of Valentine's Day and it was also the anniversary of her first date with him.

He suspected that the anniversary was the main reason for her attitude.

He realized he'd been staring at her through the window long enough for her to sense his eyes on her and she turned around, mildly annoyed and mouthed, "What?!"

Alec was overcome by the overwhelming need to snog her. He wasn't sure that he'd even stop at snogging, the way he felt right at that moment, looking at her. 

He stood up decisively and shut the blinds on his office window and then leaned out the door. No one was on the floor, Anya Burton having gone on a break, and so he prepared to do something he wasn't in the habit of doing at work, even when he was married to Tess.

Alec nonchalantly said, "Collins," and motioned toward his office, being formal just in case there was someone back on the floor. Ellie rolled her eyes. She could plainly see they were alone for the moment.

"Damn server's down again," she groused as he shut, then locked the office door. She looked back at it curiously, then the penny dropped. Her eyes widened. Before she could say anything, his lips were on hers. He kissed her throughly, his lips brushing hers gently and insistently, and she responded by darting her tongue out to taste his lips. She kissed him deeply until they both needed to breathe. His hands were against the door, where she was leaning, on either side of her. He put his forehead against hers gently, panting. "Couldn't take you out for a fancy meal," he gasped. He punctuated each sentence with a short kiss. "Didn't have flowers for you. Forgot to get a card and chocolate..."

"I'll never forgive you for the chocolate," she said and leaned forward to capture his lips again.

"But I can do this," he said when she came up for air. He took her hands and led her to the couch, walking backwards. When his legs bumped into the cushions he sat down, pulling her onto him so she straddled his hips. He was already beginning to strain against his trousers, and she gasped at the feeling.

"Is this something you normally do, DI Hardy...oh," she gasped as he bucked up again gently. 

"Believe it or not, Tess and I never did this. And that's the last I'll mention her tonight," Alec panted, his hands sliding up her ribs to come to rest on her breasts. They snogged deeply as he began to unbutton her blouse and she slid her fingers into his hair, making him moan into her mouth. Alec broke the kiss and began to nuzzle her neck, his beard feeling heavenly as he began to suck on the pulse point. She moved restlessly against him, seeking friction. It all felt so frustratingly wonderful, and as Alec finally got her blouse opened and looked down at the lacy bra she wore.....

The moment was utterly, completely ruined by the car alarm text tone blared from her pocket. Ellie moaned, but in frustration. It stopped, she held her breath, and then tentatively kissed him again, as if daring the phone. It began to scream again.

Alec had once thought it was hilarious that Tom hacked into his mother's contact list and assigned the obnoxious car alarm tone to Lucy.  
Now it wasn't funny at all. 

"Shit, I have to look at that text. There could be something wrong. Remember, she has Fred tonight." She paused, passion all steam and ashes now as she fished her phone out of her blazer pocket. Alec groaned, and leaned forward, resting his head on her shoulder. He absently traced the lace edge of the bra with his index finger, as if that would bring back the mood. Instead, Ellie swore again. "Fuck! Fred is barfing everywhere. He's got that damn stomach flu! If the damn moronic mums would just keep the damn sick kids home from the child minder's....." She got up. "I have to go get him, love." She hurriedly buttoned her blouse.

It wasn't until they were out on the CID floor and he'd given her a chaste peck on the cheek (Burton was back), that Ellie noticed her blouse was buttoned wrong. And that Burton had noticed. Burton immediately looked down at her computer screen, and the look on her face told her that firstly, she desperately wanted to unsee that, and secondly, she was surprised it hasn't happened sooner. Ellie beat a hasty retreat.

Alec just stood there until Burton said, "Ummm...server's down, sir."

"Put in a call to IT," he said gruffly.

They didn't end up celebrating Valentine's Day at all. By the next morning, Ellie was sick, then the rest of the house fell like a line of dominoes. Alec had decided that death from a heart condition would almost be preferable to this fresh hell Fred had brought home. Lucy got it too, and had yet to let Ellie forget it.

Not their "bestest day ever", at all.

*********

"Once again, why are we recalling that particular day?" Alec asked Ellie. He had gotten a bit worked up recalling their near encounter in his office and he raised his head up to kiss her. 

She broke the kiss as he pulled her over him. She straddled him, just as she had on Valentine's Day. "Was just thinkin', we never got to celebrate, and that was a shame."

Alec pushed up to a sitting position, back against the headboard, enjoying the way she snuggled in closer, her fingers playing with his hair. "We have had sex since then, I'll point out. Not in the office...but anyway. We'll sort that out eventually."

"We certainly have, and it's wonderful...but it occurred to me that we have something to celebrate that doesn't involve flowers and cards and chocolate, although we could work in the chocolate anyway."

"Of course. What are we celebrating?" 

Instead of answering, she kissed him slowly and deeply. When she'd decided she did a satisfactory job of snogging him senseless, she asked, "Remember what was going on a year ago today?"

Since he was, in fact, senseless, he couldn't think of it. He couldn't think of much past how good she felt in his lap. 

"I'll give you a clue. A year ago today you sent me a text and pissed me off. I raced to the hospital and I was so glad to see you open your eyes and look at me so I could tell you how pissed off I was."

Her voice echoed in his mind, "A text?" Now he realized why he had deja vu earlier.

Ellie gently pulled his t-shirt over his head and kissed the skin over his heart, to further clue him in.

"That was a year ago," Alec said, shaking his head incredulously. "Can't believe I didn't remember. I've been so busy...."

"You're feeling well......and you're not thinking with your brain right now, 's to be expected, Ellie said with a smirk and a gentle roll of her hips. Alec gasped laughter.

Ellie leaned forward and kissed his scar lovingly. "I think this is a better reason than Valentine's Day for a celebration, don't you? This..." she kissed his chest again, "...made it possible to have this." She began to snog him slowly as he arched his hips up into hers. He broke the kiss with a groan.

He leaned his forehead against hers and warned gently, "What about the boys? Specifically Fred.." He moaned quietly as she rolled her hips again. The friction was heavenly.

"He's having a breakfast date with Miss Lizzie Latimer. Beth picked him up a half hour ago. You've really been a layabout today. Tom is at football."

Alec gave her a wicked grin. "You planned this well, you conniving little minx." He laughed, then kissed her even more insistently. His hands slid down her sides, coming to rest on the hem of her nightshirt. In a flash her nightshirt was over her head and on the floor, joining his t-shirt on the pile. She shifted so he could get his pajama bottoms off and then it was just a matter of time and kissing and caressing every bit of skin available before they joined.

When they did, the only thought in Alec's mind, as she moved in his arms and as their eyes locked, was that this was the perfect way to celebrate the day he stopped having to count the heartbeats he had left and started counting on a future. 

******

After shattering together and whispering words of love in each other's ears they lay entwined. Ellie's head rested on Alec's chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. Alec kissed her head and murmured, "Have I ever told you why I texted you the day I had my surgery?"

"No. I couldn't imagine what you were on about. When I saw it I just wanted to get to you and give you a piece of my mind. It honestly didn't occur to me until much later that the text could have been the last words I'd ever have from you."

Alec pulled her closer, enveloping her. "I couldn't tell you face to face. I already loved you so much then, and I couldn't bear telling you. I wanted to. But I just couldn't disrupt your life any more than it already was, then possibly die."

"I would have wanted to know," Ellie argued.

"No, you wouldn't have. You could barely stand for me to comfort you then."

Ellie couldn't argue with that.

"When I woke up and saw you I almost just spilled it right then. I held back because you still didn't need that from me...."

"And Tess was there."

"That would have put a damper on it." He chuckled quietly. Then he sobered. "Ellie, I was so glad that yours was the first face I saw. So, so glad." She rose up slightly to look him in the eye and saw that there were tears forming in his. She wiped one away and kissed him gently. 

"I'm glad you pulled through and we have this life now," she said. "Right, then," she said with a watery chuckle, "the celebration is not over. We are having a family dinner at a restaurant to be named later, so I don't screw up dinner. And Daisy will be joining us."

He grinned broadly. "She will? That's brilliant. Wonderful." He kissed her.

"You'll need to pick her up at the train in about two hours."

Alec couldn't stop smiling. "I love you," he declared.

"I love you," she returned. "I think this was a much better celebration, don't you?"

"Agreed. And we did it without cards and chocolate."

"Well, there's no cards that would ever adequately describe our situation and I still want chocolate next Valentine's."

He burst out laughing. "As always, duly noted." 

*****  
A couple of hours later Daisy stepped off the train, carrying her backpack. She was greeted by a hug from her  
dad, and he swung her around with a laugh. She protested his soppy display with a smirk, and made general noises of embarrassment. She wasn't really embarrassed, truth be told. She was too pleased that he was there to embarrass her. And he didn't care, he was just too chuffed to be there with her, and to know the woman he loved, and their boys, were waiting for him back home.

**Author's Note:**

> Tooth achingly sweet, I know...and I do not apologize! I needed to write something happy since I've been reading and writing some sad Broadchurch lately!


End file.
